Brett Favre's retirement announcement last week was greeted with tributes, magazine covers, newspaper special sections and every form of adulation imaginable.

The legendary Favre is a lock to become a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer. When all-time great NFL quarterbacks are debated, Favre will be part of the discussion.

However, not everyone is fawning over Favre. With the ferocity of a blindside sack, ESPN's Sal Paolantonio called Favre overrated and argued the last decade of his career was pedestrian. Paolantonio not only attacked Favre's credentials, but blasted the media for heaping undeserved praise on the quarterback.

It's an absurd notion, particularly coming from an experienced pro football observer.

Having witnessed the Packers' starting quarterback first-hand since 1992, my job has been to call it like I see it, with no vested interest in defending Favre and no reason to inflate his career accomplishments. The unemotional, objective facts show clearly that over the wide arc of his career, Favre was brilliant.

Paolantonio bases the bulk of his argument on the quarterback's playoff record in the past decade, when the Packers were 3-7 and Favre posted a mediocre passer rating of 77.8. He cites Favre's overtime interceptions in playoff losses to Philadelphia in 2004 and the New York Giants in January as examples of a player not nearly as good as his press clippings.

That narrow view fails to acknowledge that without Favre, the Packers in many cases never would have qualified for the playoffs. One measure of a great player is how he makes his teammates better, and Favre was the master at elevating players around him.

For example, Favre's starting receivers in 2001 were an aging Antonio Freeman and an ordinary Bill Schroeder. Yet the Packers produced a remarkable 12-4 record, largely due to Favre and his 94.1 quarterback rating.

Paolantonio would discount that season because the Packers lost a divisional playoff game to the St. Louis Rams. Yes, Favre played poorly, but the Rams were a superior team and it would have taken a perfect game to beat them on their home field.

Consider that in 2007, Favre was surrounded by the youngest roster in the NFL, but on the strength of a career-best 66.5 completion percentage and quarterback rating of 95.7, he willed the Packers to a jaw-dropping 13-3 record and berth in the NFC championship game.

Yet Paolantonio defines Favre's season by a playoff interception, and concludes: "Favre was among the best in the game, once upon a time. Those days are long gone."

Huh? Was Paolantonio too busy blow-drying his hair to notice Favre, at 38, was among the top three quarterbacks in the league?

Sure, Favre threw his share of costly picks. But his gun-slinging approach is the reason the Packers were the winningest team in the NFL during his starting tenure and suffered just one losing record in 16 seasons.

In Paolantonio's view, Favre was a failure every year the Packers didn't win the Super Bowl.

But during Favre's long stint in Green Bay, only one teammate ? Reggie White ? was a Pro Football Hall of Famer. That more than anything explains why the Packers captured just one championship with Favre.

Is that making an excuse for Favre, as Paolantonio would suggest?

In reality, Favre doesn't need excuses. He has more victories, passing yards, completions, touchdowns and consecutive starts than any quarterback in NFL history.

His record speaks for itself.

Let the debate begin:tt02:

Kittyfish

03-17-2008, 09:27 AM

I guess I haven't had enough coffee yet - I read this as "Polamalu levels Favre etc" and thought, WTF?!? Hee.

All Favre did was set new records every time he stepped out on the field last year. Big deal. :yawn: He certainly doesn't deserve to be a first-rounder. *rolls eyes*

I guess Marino shouldn't be in the HOF either - he didn't win a SB at all, did he?

RoethlisBURGHer

03-17-2008, 10:35 AM

What a hater, Favre was one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

Paolantonio would probally dismiss his records because "he was around for so long".

fansince'76

03-17-2008, 10:38 AM

ESPN's Sal Paolantonio called Favre overrated....

'Nuff said.

lilyoder6

03-17-2008, 12:23 PM

i guess going to 2 superbowl's and winning one of them is him being a over-rated qb..

PisnNapalm

03-17-2008, 02:25 PM

Favre was good, but there's atleast 10 qb's I'd rather have instead of him. I don't think he's nearly the greatest of all time. He just played for long that his numbers are far ahead of everyone's.

Jeremy

03-17-2008, 02:28 PM

If he hadn't had the kinds of seasons he had the last two years, that article would be dead on.

The Duke

03-17-2008, 04:32 PM

the thing about favre is he always kept the packers as a competitive team. sure, he threw a lot of picks, but that gunslinger mentality and never give up attitude is what he'll be remembered for, and that's something many qbs are missing

I remember growing up I didn't really cheer for any nfl team, but every sunday there he was, the man in green, #4 of the packers. the guy who would take any hit and fought to the end. the guy who wasn't intimidated by anything, not even by warren sapp.

overrated? who's not overrated nowadays? his records will be broken someday, but his image will prevail forever

No debate needed............. Favre was and is a LEGEND!!!

indeed he is. and really, how many legends are there? not that much

favre was not only a qb, he was a football player, and a pretty darn good one

Dino 6 Rings

03-17-2008, 05:11 PM

sigh...

I'm so tired of "talking heads" trying to get attention by saying something ridiculous.

"I'm going to be controversial, Favre is over rated" and now he gets attention for saying something and "stirring the pot"

Sal can shove his "evaluation" up his own arse as far as I'm concerned.

Packers had 1 Playoff season in the 16 years prior to Favre, and Favre had one losing season since he was the packers starting QB. That is why the man is Legend. He turned around a Franchise that spent 25 years as a complete joke and made it relevant again.

HometownGal

03-17-2008, 05:21 PM

Brett Favre's legacy will live on - he may not be the "best QB" in NFL history (depending on what defines "best"), but he is the QB who had the most character and heart, imho.

It will be odd watching the Pack this coming season without #4 behind center.

Jeremy

03-17-2008, 05:23 PM

I never liked Farve and I probably never will. But this article was just wrong. The guy's place in the history of football is secure.

ShutDown24

03-17-2008, 05:34 PM

I agree with SAL to some extent. No doubt he waso ne of the greatest of all time, I'm not taking anything away from him. But the media DEFINITELY over-did it. Then again, what don't they over do? But still. Atfer a few hours of his retirement coverage and a 24 hour loop of his press conference, lol, it gets pretty old.

Jeremy

03-17-2008, 05:42 PM

I agree with SAL to some extent. No doubt he waso ne of the greatest of all time, I'm not taking anything away from him. But the media DEFINITELY over-did it. Then again, what don't they over do? But still. Atfer a few hours of his retirement coverage and a 24 hour loop of his press conference, lol, it gets pretty old.

Well, you have ESPN and their 18 different networks to thank for that. ESPN has gotten out of control. I watched the NCAA selection show on Sunday, and then I watched something else with my family. But on ESPN, you could get 2 full hours of speculation from the people at ESPN. It's gotten totally out of control.

But I digress. Sal may have a point, but it's simply not going to play.

ShutDown24

03-17-2008, 05:49 PM

Well, you have ESPN and their 18 different networks to thank for that. ESPN has gotten out of control. I watched the NCAA selection show on Sunday, and then I watched something else with my family. But on ESPN, you could get 2 full hours of speculation from the people at ESPN. It's gotten totally out of control.

But I digress. Sal may have a point, but it's simply not going to play.

Haha, on my dish I have ESPN, ESPNNWS, ESPN 2, EPSN Alternate 1, ESPN Alternate 2 and ESPN Deportes. Anyone know what the ALT channels are for? Once in a while a college game of some sort is on them but usually it's just a blank screen with music...

Jeremy

03-17-2008, 05:55 PM

Haha, on my dish I have ESPN, ESPNNWS, ESPN 2, EPSN Alternate 1, ESPN Alternate 2 and ESPN Deportes. Anyone know what the ALT channels are for? Once in a while a college game of some sort is on them but usually it's just a blank screen with music...

If a game on one of the main channels in blacked out, you can get the second feed on that channel. It's happened to me once.

ESPN is out of control. It's bad television spread across 5+ channels.

verks36

03-17-2008, 06:04 PM

farve was one of the best their was to play QB in the nfl.
Of course their were better QBs then him but it is pretty safe to say he was in the top 15 all time and that number alone should not make him over rated.

Also dont forget about his consecutive starts streak not only does he not have to not get hurt but he also has to play well. That streak alone should not make him overrated by how hard that number will be to break

Jeremy

03-17-2008, 06:08 PM

Here's what's funny about this situation. ESPN is constantly throwing teams and players in to the hype machine. Remember the USC team that lost to Texas in the Rose Bowl? Yeah, that was the teams that folks at ESPN were saying could beat some bottom feeding NFL teams.

So the kings of overrated have a member of their staff calling someone overrated. Well guess what, if farve was overrated it's only because of the ESPN hype machine.

fansince'76

03-17-2008, 06:14 PM

Here's what's funny about this situation. ESPN is constantly throwing teams and players in to the hype machine. Remember the USC team that lost to Texas in the Rose Bowl? Yeah, that was the teams that folks at ESPN were saying could beat some bottom feeding NFL teams.

Not to mention their "greatest team ever" ticker - same team that wound up losing to a 10-6 5th seed from the NFC. ESPN sucks. Out loud. :rolleyes:

Jeremy

03-17-2008, 06:17 PM

Not to mention their "greatest team ever" ticker - same team that wound up losing to a 10-6 NFC 5th seed. ESPN sucks Out loud. :rolleyes:

That's why I use CBSSports.com for my internet sports news and why I avoid watching their mindless non-game shows.

I'm one of those people who wish that the Datona 500 was still on CBS.

I figured out that ESPN was overrated when my wife bet me I couldn't go a month without watching it. I took that bet and won. And then since I didn't miss it, I went another month, and another and so on until I hit almost a year. It helps that my favorite sports are SEC college football, college basketball, and the NFL. I can go almost the whole year just watching CBS. Now with baseball on TBS, I can cut ESPN almost totally out of the loop. The only reason I have to watch ESPN is NASCAR.

It's a nice deal.

BettisFan

03-17-2008, 06:20 PM

Brett Favre is one of my top 5 players to watch i will miss him :(

Godfather

03-17-2008, 08:18 PM

Here's what's funny about this situation. ESPN is constantly throwing teams and players in to the hype machine. Remember the USC team that lost to Texas in the Rose Bowl? Yeah, that was the teams that folks at ESPN were saying could beat some bottom feeding NFL teams.

So the kings of overrated have a member of their staff calling someone overrated. Well guess what, if farve was overrated it's only because of the ESPN hype machine.

Yep, and they also said Oklahoma's 2003 team was the best ever. Turns out they weren't even the best in the Big XII.

BlastFurnace

03-18-2008, 12:49 PM

Put Favre on the Steelers since 1992 and we have atleast 3 more rings...maybe 4 with the teams we had from 1992 through 1997 and 2001 to present.

That was a ridiculous article.

tony hipchest

03-18-2008, 01:21 PM

Put Favre on the Steelers since 1992 and we have atleast 3 more rings...maybe 4 with the teams we had from 1992 through 1997 and 2001 to present.

That was a ridiculous article.totally agree. also give farve the defensive signals for his whole career and he probably has more rings than TB and montana.

brady and his benefits of cheating has spoiled peoples realistic expectations of what a "great qb" is.

hes the one who is overrated.

fansince'76

03-18-2008, 01:27 PM

brady and his benefits of cheating has spoiled peoples realistic expectations of what a "great qb" is.

hes the one who is overrated.

Yup, yup. Brady when the playing field is actually level for a change:

AzCLZPMBeDM

"Does Plax play defense?" :jerkit:

:toofunny: :toofunny: :toofunny:

BettisFan

03-18-2008, 05:43 PM

how can anyone say they dont like favre he was amazing to watch

Elvis

03-18-2008, 06:31 PM

Great points Kitty! :cheers:

No debate needed............. Favre was and is a LEGEND!!!
Anyone who doesnt vote for Favre to be in the hall of fame should lose their vote, no doubt about it in my mind. He is the toughest QB maybe player that has ever played the game. Paolatonio needs to get a life watching freestyle swimming or something in the olympics, because obviously he has been watching a different Brett Favre than me.
Legend is Written All Over Favre in my opinion
:thumbsup:

Jeremy

03-18-2008, 08:14 PM

how can anyone say they dont like favre he was amazing to watch

It's my opinion. I think he was a hotshot who got a free pass from everyone for his, at times, totally stupid play on the field. I don't really like watching a guy throw 5 picks in a game because he thinks he's better than he is.

He was a great quarterback, but that doesn't mean that everyone has to like him. Get over it.

Jeremy

03-18-2008, 08:15 PM

Anyone who doesnt vote for Favre to be in the hall of fame should lose their vote, no doubt about it in my mind. He is the toughest QB maybe player that has ever played the game. Paolatonio needs to get a life watching freestyle swimming or something in the olympics, because obviously he has been watching a different Brett Favre than me.
Legend is Written All Over Favre in my opinion
:thumbsup:

Well that says it all doesn't it. :blah:

I mean God forbid mature adults have different opinions on things.

BettisFan

03-18-2008, 08:36 PM

Well thats to bad i hope he goes down as one of the best ever!

stlrtruck

03-19-2008, 01:09 PM

Well that says it all doesn't it. :blah:

I mean God forbid mature adults have different opinions on things.

This coming from the same person that blasts anyone and almost everyone that has an opinion that differs from his :thumbsup:

Dino 6 Rings

03-19-2008, 01:21 PM

When compared with greats in the Hall of Fame, Favre will be considered a top 15 QB of all time.

How can anyone possibly rank the best QBs, its a great debate and fun to engage in, but when you look at the HOF and look at the numbers and the guys that are in, Favre is easily in. Longevity, 3 time Season MVP, 2 SBs, 1 win, records beyond records. He's an all time great.

BettisFan

03-19-2008, 01:23 PM

Well that says it all doesn't it. :blah:

I mean God forbid mature adults have different opinions on things.

you cant say anything about opinions...

Edman

03-19-2008, 01:29 PM

It's ESPN. What more needs to be said?

Favre is one of the greatest, grittiest QB's to ever play the game. He deserves the praise and the accolades. Screw Tom Brady. He's the real one who is overrated. Falling apart in XLII and the AFC playoffs two years prior.

Edman

03-19-2008, 01:32 PM

Yup, yup. Brady when the playing field is actually level for a change:

AzCLZPMBeDM

"Does Plax play defense?" :jerkit:

:toofunny: :toofunny: :toofunny:

If that were Ben Roethlisberger back there he probably would've shifted to the right and escaped. He's had to put up with shoddy protection like that all year. Tom Brady gets it in one game and folds like a lawn chair.

BettisFan

03-19-2008, 01:38 PM

haha tom brady's a girl

Jeremy

03-20-2008, 12:35 PM

you cant say anything about opinions...

Heil to you too.

tony hipchest

03-20-2008, 12:53 PM

Heil to you too.speaking of mature adults...

i think you just proved the Christian and Jew's point by dropping the anti-semite bomb on a kid.

pretty trashy and juvenile. :thumbsup:

BettisFan

03-20-2008, 01:01 PM

Heil to you too.

Thats just cold come on man thats a hit below the belt:jawdrop:

tony hipchest

03-20-2008, 01:23 PM

Thats just cold come on man thats a hit below the belt:jawdrop:yeah jeremy, that was "below the belt".

The man was and is one of the all time best QBs ever to play the game. He played with heart, intensity, and loyalty to one organization for his entire career even carrying an often mediocre Packers team into the playoffs because his abilities at QB.

Jeremy

03-23-2008, 09:34 AM

I know many a Steeler fan that would have given their first born child up for a QB like Favre during the 90's and earlier this decade prior to Big Ben showing up.

The man was and is one of the all time best QBs ever to play the game. He played with heart, intensity, and loyalty to one organization for his entire career even carrying an often mediocre Packers team into the playoffs because his abilities at QB.